Door sensitive edge actuated switch



Sept. 26, 1950 c. o. BRuEsTLE DOOR SENSITIVE EDGE ACTUATED SWITCH 2sheets-sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1946 IN V EN TOR. Carl 0. Bruesrla mig.

AH'HS.

sept 26, 1950 c. o. BRUEsTLE DOOR SENSITIVE EDGE ACTUATED SWITCH 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1946 INVENToR. Car/ O. @mest/e 9% QLL.

Patented Sept. 26, 1950 DOOR SENSITIVE EDGE ACTUATED SWITCH Carl 0.Bruestle, Rahway, N. J., assigner to Eleva tor Supplies Company, Inc.,Perth Amboy, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 26,1946, Serial No. 712,291

(Cl. 20G- 54) 2 Claims.

This invention comprises an improvement in that kind of apparatus whichis used on power operating doors to effect stopping or reversal thereofupon contact with an object such as the body or the limb of a personduring closing. This kind of apparatus is employed on subway car doors,bus doors, elevator doors, and the like.

Many forms of this kind of apparatus have been developed, some of whichhave gone into extensive use. Those forms of the device which haveattained commercial application have each developed some inherentweakness which has motivated me to devise a form of device hereindisclosed.

One of the objects of the invention has been to eiect a simplication ofthe device and thereby reduce its cost, facilitate its repair andmaintenance, and contribute to ruggedness and sta-v bility for long lifein use under the hard conditions which such devices must encounter.

Above all it has been sought to improve such devices without in anywaymaking them any greater source of possi-ble injury to persons using thedoors with which they are equipped, and it is believed that they havebeen made more safe by reason of the construction devised.

Another object has been to improve the appearance of such devices andreduce the size thereof.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description of the embodiment selected for purposes ofdisclosure and illustrated in the attached drawings.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction,arrangement and relative location of parts, all as will be described indetail below. p

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a side elevational View of the forward portion of a doorshowing a form of structure of the invention with most of the doorbroken away and intermediate sections broken out to permit as near afull sized illustration as possible;

Figure 2 is a vertical edge elevational view oi the device applied to adoor and viewing the door from the opposite edge to which the device isattached; and

Figure 3 is a detailed, cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 ofFigure 1.

As is Well known in this art, it is common on many types of poweroperated doors which are used on public conveyances to provide a devicewhich in its broadest aspect is usually an electric 1 ance with thiscommon feature the embodiment illustrated herein employs an electricswitch of the .type known as a micro-switch. The novelty of theinvention is concerned with the simplied and rugged structure by meansof which this 'switch can be operated at desired times by displacementof an operating member disposed in the doorway.

As illustrated, the structure is mounted on the forward edge of the doorI, along the vertical i side face thereof, by means of an elongatedstrip forming a base plate attached to the door face by means of aseries of screws 3. Secured to the outer face of the plate 2 at theupper end thereof, is an L-shaped bracket II upon which is mounted acover plate 4 forming a protecting wings 5, 'I and 9 by means of whichit is respectively attached to the bracket II through the Le agency ofscrews 6 and 8 and to the plate 2 by the screws IU.

The micro-switch I3 which may be of a number of Well known and suitablestructural types, has the characteristic of requiring by a very smallmovement of its operating member I3 to eliect actuation of the switch.As illustrated this switch is attached to a rectangular plate I5 by`means of screws or rivets I4, which plate is secured to the base plate2 in a cutout therein. The plate I5 hasy its ends laterally offset tooverlie the adjacent portions of the plate 2 and these ends are providedwith elongated slots IE through which bolts or screws IS pass to attachthe switch to the base plate 2. The slotted openings I8 permit oflateral adjustment of the switch assembly for the purpose of associatingit with the struc- -ture which operates it in the proper position forcorrect operation. The switch I3 is secured to the plate I5 so as tooverlie an interleai layer of insulating material of generally U-shapedformation, as is clear from Figure 3, so as to form an insulated areawithin the housing 4 in the region of the entry of the circuit Wires,not shown, through the insulating bushing I2 mounted in the bracket II.

A relatively strong rigid rod 2D is rotatably mounted on a vertical axisin a pair of brackets 2I and 23 secured to the plate 2 by means of thescrews 22 and 24, as clearly shown in Figure 1. The rod is alsopivotally supported in the region of its longitudinal center by means ofa. bracket 25 which is secured to the plate 2 by means of the screws 26.A generally U-shaped channel member1 2l of metal or some other suitablematerial houses the rod 20 at the base of the channel and is securedthereto at a number of points along its length by means of the rivets30. As is seen from Figure 1, the channel member 21 has substantiallythe same length as the rod 20. Inserted between the anges of the channelis a rectangular bar 28 of suitable material which is secured in thisposition by a series of screws or rivets 29, as shown. The bar 28likewise has a length almost as great as the height of the doorfso as tobe engageable with any part of the body of a person passing through thedoorway. This bar is preferably made of some iiexible material oi thenecessary rigidity such as rubber or a flexible plastic material.

Secured within and at the base of the channel 2l at the top end bywelding or in any other suitable manner, is a rod 3l which projectsabove the upper end of the channel 27 and serves as an anchor for oneend of a spring 32. The other end of this spring is secured to a screw33 mounted in the angle bracket Il. The spring is arranged so as to beunder suflicient tension so as to hold the channel 21 and the bodycontacting plate 28 substantially parallel to the plane of the door l,that is the position particularly clear from Figure 3.

The base of the channel is positioned with respect to the operatingbutton I3' of the microswitch 3l so that any rotative movement of thechannel on the axis of the bar 20 will cause the channel to swing ineither direction with respect to the button I3 suiciently to permit ofoperation of the switch. It is obvious that the switch will be or thetype that will operate when its buton is released by such swingingmovement of the channel and connected parts. Any such swinging movementwill cause further loading of the spring 32 so that as soon as the bodycontacting member is released it will pivot this structure on the axisof the shaft 29 back into parallelism with the door.

The operation of this device is quite clear from what has gone before.Should the door equipped with it strike anyone in closing, there will bea component of the force applied to the body contact member which willcause rotation of the shaft 2l) in either direction, and thereby movethe channel sufficiently to permit the switch I3 to operate, whichthrough suitable control can effect stoppage or reversal of the dooroperating motive device. It will be apparent that the member 28 needonly have sufficient rigidity to effect this movement and can otherwisebe suciently ilexible so as to reduce the force of impact when itstrikes a persons body.

From the foregoing description it will be recognized that all of themechanism comprising this device is mounted upon a single supportingbaseplate and can, therefore, be attached to the door and removed fromit as a complete unit. This facilitates installation, repair,maintenance and replacement.

From the above description of the embodiment selected as a basis fordescribing this invention, it will become at once apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the novel substance herein disclosed can beincorporated in other physical forms, and I do not expect to be limitedto the single embodiment illustrated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a door sensitive edge structure, the combination comprising asupporting plate to be attached to a door near its forward edge, a bodycontact member mounted so as to project into a doorway throughoutsubstantially the vertical height of the door, pivot means mounted onsaid plate and secured to said body contact member, resilient means forholding the body member in a plane parallel to that of the door, acontrol device mounted on the door for actuation by pivotal movement ofsaid body contact member out of the plane of said door, said pivot meanscomprising a shaft and a, U-shaped channel member embracing said shaftand secured thereto and said body contact member comprising arectangular bar secured to said channel.

2. in a door sensitive edge structure, the combination comprising asupporting plate to be attached to a door near its forward edge, a bodycontact member mounted so as to project into a door way throughoutsubstantially the vertical height of the door, pivot means mounted onsaid plate and secured to said body contact member, resilient means forholding the body member in a plane parallel to that of the door, acontrol device mounted on the door for actuation by pivotal movement ofsaid body contact member out of the plane of said door, said pivot meanscomprising a shaft and a U-shaped channel member embracing said shaftand secured thereto and said body contact member comprising a flexiblerectangular bar secured to said channel.

CARL O. BRUESTLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,287,717 McElroy l Dec. 17, 19181,705,406 Hynes et al Mar. 12, 1929

